Questions from an overweight person

[thewavecry]

Hi all,

I have been reading the forum for a few weeks and I thought I would butt in with a few questions that have been lurking around in my head. I am overweight - about 120kg - and out of shape and I want to make a few changes to help lose some of the weight and get a bit fitter. I plan to start cycling and ideally I want to build up to the point where I can commute to the train station on weekdays by bike.

Having read a bit, it sounds like an electric bike would help me get to that point sooner and more comfortably. I haven't cycled for years so I am not confident. Worse, I used the cycle-to-work schema a while ago and was badly advised. The bike I got did not suit me and it dented my confidence somewhat, and I am concerned about purchasing another white elephant.

I am not really asking you to tell me what bike to buy. I think I am more interested in options and configurations. In particular, if my weight rules out certain kinds of e-bike.

Given my weight, do I really need a crank drive for the extra torque? Should I avoid folding bikes? Do I need a frame with a cross bar for strength? Am I likely to have bother with standard forks/suspension? Should I avoid v-brakes? In general, are the sub-£1000 e-bikes likely to be too much of a compromise?

Cheers,
(Yet another) David

 

[TobyAnscombe]

Dude..

I started out at nearly 22 stone with the same intention (6'4" frame hid most of it so no-one really knew!) and had the same plan - I live in a village outside of the tube network in London so wanted to cycle the 4 miles each way to save myself £6 a day car parking.

I was worried about the strength of bikes but I thought to myself that if i do this then I should loose weight so therefore lets not by a bike for where I am now but buy one for where I think that I will end up. Provided that I dont get some lightweight carbon thing then I should be ok....

I went down the route of getting a regular bike and having a motor added to it; the rationale was that as I get fitter I want to be more of a cyclist and less of a sit there and watch the world go by - after all, the plan was to loose weight which means actually having do pedal ;-)

I chose to get a bike from Cytronex Electric Bicycle | Electric Bike | Cytronex | Conversion Kit | e-bike as they start with decent bikes and then add their electric system to them; you can get the same effect from buying a kit and fitting or you can go to a retailer who will do it for you. Because I was very certain with what i wanted I didnt try any other bikes but I did make sure that I went down to where they are based (dragging my wife and 2 kids) so that I could try before I bought; whereever you buy from make sure that you try it!

Check out the "where are you" thread and see if anyone is near you or if you can make one of the events that are organised where you can try a number of bikes to find the one that suits you; there are a myriad of options out there and its going to cost you a fair wedge of cash so you want to make sure that you get it right..

If you are around Epping Forest or can get over to here then I will happily let you have a go on mine; 6 months later I am now just over 20 stone and thats with almost no diet adjustment and still drinking (didnt want to compromise my lifestyle just to lose weight!) and generally feel good about myself as I can see the weight coming off and its maintainable; when we had all the snow a month or so ago I stopped riding for a bit and the weight stayed off - result!

 

[RobF]

Your weight doesn't need to be much of a consideration in buying a rigid bike.

Some of the rear hub drives have spoke problems with heavier riders, although the new Oxygens - about £1,500 - have thicker rear spokes than most.

Woosh are a good budget buy, and their new crank drive bike is an obvious choice, if only to avoid possible spoke problems.

Cheap folders are more of a compromise, so if you want one of those the only bomb-proof choice is a Brompton.

What's bike parking like at the railway station?

Leaving a Brompton anywhere other than in a secure box is asking for trouble, and taking a converted one with you won't be so convenient because of the extra weight of the motor and battery.

A longer term plan might be to have a cheaper rigid ebike now and then treat yourself to an unassisted Brommie for commuting when you are fit enough.

 

[thewavecry]

What's bike parking like at the railway station?

That's my other big concern about spending more than £100 on a bike for commuting! The bike racks at the station are as secure as you can get, I guess. They are close to the entrance, there is lighting and CCTV pointed at the rack. Still, it is a quiet, rural station so footfall will be low out of rush hours.

How do e-bikers secure their bikes at stations? Is it common to unhook the battery and carry it with you?

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi yet another David,

There are people heavier than you riding ebikes, so don't despair.

Our regular eZee bikes have 120Kg rider limit, but there is a safety margin and they come with a 2 year warranty. There is also the Yuba el Mundo cargo bike which has huge 200Kg capacity.

An alternative is to find a strong non powered bike and fit a conversion kit, preferably front wheel.

Regards,

 

[RobF]

That's my other big concern about spending more than £100 on a bike for commuting! The bike racks at the station are as secure as you can get, I guess. They are close to the entrance, there is lighting and CCTV pointed at the rack. Still, it is a quiet, rural station so footfall will be low out of rush hours.

How do e-bikers secure their bikes at stations? Is it common to unhook the battery and carry it with you?

Leaving an ebike with a battery at a station is probably a bad idea - the batteries cost anything from £200 to £700.

It might be locked to the bike, but I would be concerned a thief is likely to butcher the bike to get it.

Another point is commuting bikes almost inevitably get knocked about.

Some of the bigger stations are so busy, other riders sometimes cannot avoid scratching a bike when they park theirs because the racks are nearly full.

A £170 Halfords special - secured by a £70 lock - is the best bet, but of course it wouldn't be an ebike.

 

[thewavecry]

I'd be more concerned about the bike being a target than stratches etc. Maybe this would be better in a separate "how do you secure your bike when commuting" thread?

 

[PennyFarthing]

As a previous non electric cyclist who hadn't cycled for years and was now overweight I invested in an electric bike - AFTER buying a normal bike and commuting to work. The commute to work was releatively easy but the ride home was almost uphill or miles of incline. I would have to lay on the sofa for an hour afterwards. The electric took that hassle out of it. Its like someone pushing you from behind up the hill.

What I do is use the electric for the inclines and hills then turn it off for the flat part of the ride - I then found I was using the non electric part more and more as I got fitter. However, I have discovered I am a Spring/Summer cyclist only and don't like cycling in the cold weather. I dont mind rain but I do mind the cold (despite buying the necessary to keep warm).

My bike is sturdy enought to take me. I do find I lose weight and tone up in the non cold months but because I'm not riding it in the colder months I put the weight back on again.

Do not leave your bike at the station with the battery in it. You will have to take the battery with you - they can be quite heavy. How about buying a second hand electric bike that doesnt look so shiny and new?

Do you live in a hilly area? If not I'd buy a standard bike and just walk the bits you cant ride. After a few weeks you will find yourself cyling more than walking. Be aware you will arrive sweaty though!

Just some suggestions.

The bike I ride is in my signature at the bottom of this. Its Crank driven and I don't have a throttle.

Definitely do it. Just work out the best for you.

I second what TobyAnscombe said - try before you buy. I thought I knew what I wanted but once I tried several over several days I knew the one I preferred when I rode it.